View video: Haunted Halloween party for kids & adults
Halloween is a favorite holiday for children across the country and it's
no wonder why. They get to dress up as their favorite hero, collect a
bunch of candy and go to Halloween parties. Help your kids experience
Halloween safely by hosting a Spooktacular Halloween party. Here are
a few party ideas to make your séance extra spooky for every kid this
October!
Pumpkin Party (Preschool Age)
Instead of inviting spooky spirits and ghastly ghosts to your preschool
party, introduce Halloween gently to the small set with a pumpkin-themed
party!
Set up a Pumpkin Patch
Buy or rent hay bales from the feed store and arrange them into a
maze in the backyard. Hide small pumpkins under loose hay at the end
of the maze. Cut out crows from black construction paper and tape
them to the fence and trees. Draw funny Jack O'Lantern faces on
orange helium balloons and tie them to the hay.
Play in the Pumpkin Patch
Try some of these games for some more fun with preschoolers:
Walk the Maze.
Let the kids try to find their way through the
hay maze to the pumpkins hidden at the other end.
Paint a Pumpkin.
When they find their pumpkins, let the kids
paint them with poster paint or decorate them with stickers.
Pumpkin Bowling.
Set out plastic 2-liter bottles in a row. Use
your Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kit to inflate and tie orange
helium balloons to the tops of each bottle. Give the kids a small
round pumpkin without the stem and let them "bowl" down the
pins.
Catch the Runaway Pumpkins.
Use your Balloon Time Helium
Balloon Kit to blow up a bunch of orange helium balloons and tie
ribbons to them so they're barely within reach of the kids' hands
when they float on the ceiling. Then let the kids try to jump up
and catch as many balloons as they can.
Dress the Scarecrow.
Lay out some old clothes, such as
overalls, a flannel shirt and a straw hat and work together to
build a funny scarecrow. Draw a face on an orange helium
balloon to use for the head.
Pumpkin Patch Refreshments
Serve Pumpkin Punch (orange juice punch) and mini pumpkin pies. Let
the kids decorate their own pumpkin-shaped cookies with tubes of
frosting and sprinkles.
Medieval Magic (Elementary Age)
Kids in elementary school love to dress up as their mythical heroes,
slay dragons and do a little magic, so host a Medieval Party complete
with wizards, witches and warlocks.
Build a Haunted Castle
Gather several large appliance boxes and paint them gray. Tape them
together to form a castle and add detail with black poster paint. Attach
black or silver helium balloons to the castle towers and hang a flag at
the top of the highest point. Cut out doors and windows so the kids
can enter the castle.
Medieval Mischief
Spend a magical night of wild wizardry with these games and
activities:
Knight the Guests.
Ask the kids to come dressed for the
theme, then add appropriate accessories to their costumes, such
as flower garlands and cone-shaped hats for the girls, plastic
helmets and cloaks for the boys.
Make and Take.
Have the girls make their own candy necklaces
out of candies strung onto string and add them to their
costumes. Let the boys make their own swords from cardboard
and paint.
Magic Tricks.
Teach the kids some simple magic tricks, and
then let them perform for one another. Include a few science
experiments, such as The Exploding Volcano or Slime for added
wizardry.
Sword Play.
Use your Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kit to inflate
a bunch of helium balloons and see how many the kids can pop
using only their cardboard swords.
Castle Refreshments
Have the bakery make a Castle Cake or let the kids make their own
mini-castles using graham crackers, with frosting to hold it together
and tiny candies for decoration. When they're finished, let the kids eat
their castles. Wash it down with "Grog" (any kind of punch).
Fortune Telling and Tarot (Teenagers)
Teens like a touch of danger and mystery with their Halloween
celebrations, so welcome them to a spooky scene where ghosts seem
to come alive.
Spooktacular Setting
Choose a room for the party and welcome the spirits inside. Cover the
windows in black cloth or paper to darken the room, then light candles
and turn on a black light for atmosphere. Add cobwebs, plastic spiders
and the occasional fake body part here and there. Write fortunes on
small pieces of paper and insert them into black balloons. Inflate them
with helium for a decoration and use them later for a party game.
Summon the Ghouls for Spirited Fun
Here are some awe-full activities for the teenage crowd:
Let the Séance Begin
Set up a round table and cover it with a black cloth. Hide a
microphone speaker under the table, with the mic in another
room. Inflate a white balloon with helium to use as a crystal ball,
and cover it with a lightweight handkerchief. Carry it to the table
and hold it until the séance begins. Set it in the middle of the
table and have everyone join hands. Watch as the crystal ball
begins to rise up mysteriously and have someone in the other
room talk to the guests from "beyond."
The Cards Don't Lie
Buy a tarot deck and study the meanings of the cards. Then tell
the fortunes of the other guests - just for fun. Or, make up
funny fortunes for added laughs.
The Spirits Are Not Happy
One by one, pop the black balloons over the heads of the guests,
and warn them their fortunes are about to fall upon them. Have
them open and read the fortunes that land nearby.
There's a Body in the Library
Set up a crime scene and have the guests solve a mystery, using
clues that have been hidden around the room.
Ghoulish Goodies
Serve drinks from a tub filled with dry ice. Make "finger" sandwiches -
sandwiches cut into strips with an almond pressed into one end to
form a finger with a fingernail. Let the teens make their own Pizza
Mini-Monsters, with pizza dough, sauce and a variety of toppings
formed to make a freaky face.
Penny Warner has more than 25 years of experience as an author
and party planner. She has published more than 50 books, including 16
specific to parties. Additionally, Warner writes a weekly newspaper
column on family life, penned a column for Sesame Street Parents
magazine and has appeared on several regional and national TV morning
programs. Her latest book, HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY, debuted in
February 2010 from NAL/Penguin.
Balloon Time is the leading brand of consumer helium balloon kits
in North America. Balloon Time kits feature a helium-filled tank, latex
or foil balloons and ribbon, and are available at national retail
chains, party goods and grocery stores nationwide.